The number of positive cases for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to climb as the Department of Health on Monday confirmed 82 new cases, resulting in a total of 462 despite the strict community quarantine implemented in the country.
The DOH has recorded the largest number of confirmed cases in a single day and eight new fatalities bringing the death count to 33. However, the Philippines now has 18 recoveries as one more patient has been cleared of the disease.
The eight patients that died from the infectious respiratory virus all have pre-existing health conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension.
Most of the causes of the patients’ deaths were due to septic shock, pneumonia, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), and other complications secondary to COVID-19. The patients were mostly elderly, as the youngest was 56 years old and the oldest was 89 years old.
Some of the patients have already died before being confirmed positive with COVID-19.
Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire previously warned that the number of cases would continue to increase as more tests would be conducted as testing capacities in laboratories increase.
According to the DOH’s COVID-19 tracker, 1,622 tests were already conducted. 606 persons are under investigation, 6,321 are being monitored, and 399 patients are currently admitted.
The tracker also listed Quezon City as the city with the most number of infected as they were recorded to have 61 cases, next to San Juan City which has 28, and Makati which has 20 cases. However, the origins of 207 cases are still being validated.
The DOH said that they are conducting 950-1,000 tests per day and the Food and Drug Administration has increased the approved test kits from four to eight over the past weeks.
The World Health Organization has recorded over 340,000 people infected by the highly contagious respiratory disease that has recently been declared a pandemic. 14,745 people were killed by the disease and over 99,000 have recovered.